A Life for a Life
by PrincessDaydream77
Summary: AU, a year after S3. Morgana's attempt to take Camelot had failed and she had disappeared, so when Arthur finds the young girl employed under a false name to one of Cenred's knights, he saves her and begins to rebuild their relationship. However, when they are set upon by bandits and Uther's life is saved by Morgana, her own life hangs in the balance. Will it be a life for a life?
1. Lady Turned Serving Girl

A Life for a Life

Summary: Set a year after the end of Series 3, AU. Morgana's attempt to take Camelot had failed and she had disappeared, so when Arthur finds the young girl employed under a false name to one of Cenred's knights, he saves her and begins to rebuild their relationship. However, when they are set upon by bandits and Uther's life is saved by Morgana, her own life hangs in the balance. Will it be a life for a life?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, plotlines belong to both me and headinclouds123, finer detail to me.

Chapter One

At a north-facing window of the council chambers, deep within the Camelot citadel, King Uther Pendragon was staring out into the forest beyond. The morning sun had dawned bright and shining, yet his soul had never felt so dark and shadowed. His beloved ward, Morgana Le Faye, had been stolen away from him in a whirlwind of choas, created by her scheming sorceress sister. Just like she had done before.

Not a day had gone by since Morgana had betrayed him when he did not question as to why she had done it. But then again, not a day had gone by that he had not wished to have told Morgana of her heritage sooner. Perhaps it would've stopped her going astray, perhaps it would've merely speeded up the process. Only the fates could know now, and only they would know how the tale would end.

Uther turned his mind's eye to rest on his son, who he had sent to scour the forests for what must have been the hundredth time, for the King was still convinced that she could be found. So convinced, in fact, that he had given his only son permission to venture into the tree covered edges of Escitir, the kingdom of the late King Cenred.

The forest were extremely built up, offering shade from the sunlight, but doing little to deter Arthur's nerves. He was not normally a nervous person, but there was something about the way that the wind whistled through the mighty oaks that gave the place a spirit-like feel, almost a haunted one. That was the reason why the prince nearly jumped out of his skin as a loud metallic clatter resounded through the trees. His fear turned quickly to anger as he saw his manservant of five years, Merlin, scrambling on the ground, various articles of weaponry scattered around him.

"Merlin, is there no end to the amount of things you can muck up?!" snapped Arthur, throwing an apple at his servant's head.

"Arthur, is there no end to how rude you can be in one minute?!" retorted the dark-haired man under his breath. Not quite enough.

"What was that, Merlin?" asked the prince, the annoyance clear in his tone of voice. Luckily, Merlin was used to these reactions by now and was able to come up with a plausable excuse in a matter of moments.

"I said that I'll have this cleared up in a minute, Sire." answered Merlin. To his surprise, the prince just returned to his horse, mounting the steed and sparking a conversation with Sir Leon.

"Unbelievable!" muttered Merlin, placing the remaining weaponry into the and mounting his horse, just as Arthur called for the men to set off once more, riding for what seemed like hours before they came across a large, dingy castle.

"It belongs to one of Cenred's most trusted knights, Sir Fendrel. He's fearsome, one of the most legendary warriors Escitir has ever known." explained Arthur.

"And we're going to wander right up to his front door?!" sighed Merlin disbelievingly.

"Yep." came the simple reply.

"Thought so." sighed Merlin, nodding his head annoyedly.

Luckily for Merlin, however, when they arrived, Arthur set him onto the less dangerous task of lookout with most of the knights, while the prince himself and his Knights of the Round Table stormed the lower levels.

It was amazing for Arthur to see how badly servants could be treated. Of course, he had few close relationships with servants, bar Guinevere, needless to say and Merlin, if the reference must be made, but he had always treated any servants of the castle with a great amount of respect. However, obviously, Sir Fendrel did not share Arthur's morals.

The Knights crept down the jagged stone staircase soundlessly, attempting to keep their cool, as they knew that, had their patrol been injured or postponed in warning them, they could be set upon by soldiers at any moment.

Once they reached the bottom of the steps, they were shocked by what they saw. The place they knew to be where Sir Fendrel's servants slept resembled more of the Camelot's palace dungeons. There were two small beds in the room, which was barred across the wall in front, giving a full view to the people who would be sleeping inside. However, to the Knights' dismay only one of the two women they were meant to be rescuing was actually within the cell.

"Hello?" Arthur called quietly, making the girl jump and turn, terror set firmly into her face.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking and her hands trembling violently in fear.

"My name is Prince Arthur of Camelot. I'm here to rescue you."

"That's not possible, sire. Once you're a servant to Sir Fendrel, you don't escape, you don't get rescued, you stay until he doesn't need you anymore. Then you die. It's as simple as that. I've seen it happen before. If he finds another two girls, Cyra and I are doomed."

"Cyra?"

"She's the other serving girl. The poor darling, she's only nineteen years old. Ran away from her family because they didn't want her anymore, and got caught by Sir Fendrel's patrol. That was one year ago. Now she'll never escape."

"No, she will, I'll go and find her, I promise. But first, you need to get out of here. Where do you live?" he asked, deciding to quickly change the subject, so that he could save the other girl and get out of the darkness as soon as he could.

"A long way away from here. It's a village called Nevaria, on the other side of the White Mountains." The finals words rang a bell in Arthur's head and, a few moments later, he made the connection.

"Is that anywhere near Ealdor?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her eyes almost lighting up. "My village is about a mile away from there."

"Brilliant! Now, Leon, take everyone up to the patrol and tell Merlin about... Sorry, what's your name?"

"Emelyn." the girl answered.

"Emelyn, find my manservant, Merlin and tell him where you live. Take some guards with you and he'll get you there. Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Elyan, back up. With some of the guards with Emelyn and Merlin, I need as many great soldiers up there as I can get."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to find Cyra."

It took Arthur about thirty minutes, but eventually he located the dark-haired girl, bent down scrubbing a filthy stone floor, a large, intimidating man standing over her as she worked. The prince watched for about five more minutes, until the man swept out of the room, kicking a pail of ashes from the fire across the still damp floor as he went. The girl began to cry as soon as he left, her soot-covered hands coming up to hold her face as she cried.

"Cyra?" Arthur whispered quietly, a little too quietly, as the girl clearly didn't hear him. Arthur called her name twice more. On the third time, she looked up.

"Who's there?" asked the girl, her face still directed towards the floor, so Arthur could still not see it, not even once he stepped out and bent down beside her.

"My name is Arthur Pendragon, I'm the Crown Prince of Camelot. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to get you back home."

"They wouldn't want me back. You should know that more than most, Arthur." she stated simply, looking up slowly. Arthur's eyes widened to the point of bursting when he saw the girl's delicate, heart-shaped face, proud cheekbones and sparkling emerald eyes. Suddenly, everything made sense.

"Morgana."

A/N: Please review this story, I really want to know what you think about it.


	2. Truly

Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks to my magical first reviewers, Witchprincess18, Insanetrouble and Dove L Salvatore.

Arthur could barely overcome the shock of what was happening to him. He had spent almost a year, alternating between his duties as Prince and searching for his lost little sister. While the former was routine for him, he couldn't believe that he had finally accomplished the latter.

Arthur hadn't really realised that his gaze had been directed to the floor and once he did, lifted it. It was so strange to meet face-to-face with his younger sister, especially since her betrayal, but Arthur was surprised to see that her once glorious raven hair was dull and limp, her once silky skin was coarse and unnervingly pale, the whiteness accentuated by the red bruises littered across her arms and face. But the thing that shocked him most was her eyes. The last time he had seen those eyes, they had been filled with violence and hatred, the times before, they had sparkled in the sunlight, filled with happiness and daring, but now they were neither. The hatred was not present, but neither was the sparkle. They were just a dull green, as opposed to the emerald pools they had used to be.

"I know." she whispered, looking down once he looked up.

"Know what, Morgana?" asked Arthur, his patience being stretched and stretching his voice in turn.

"I look a sight. Not exactly the glamourous Lady Morgana anymore, am I?" she joked, her voice containing little humour, her laugh a little too forced.

"I don't care about that, Morgana. I just care that you're alright." Arthur stated, not realising that these words would spark his sister's anger.

"Why would you? You all hate me! You know what I am and you know what I've done. I wasn't lying when I told Emelyn that my family wouldn't want me back." Morgana finished quietly, a small tear streaking her ashy cheek.

"What if we did? Morgana, Father has been sending patrols out for a year to find you! Would he have done that if he didn't care?" Arthur asked, attempting to bring his young sister round to his point of viewing.

"Depends why he was looking for me. He sends patrols to find sorcerors every other fortnight." Morgana returned harshly, another tear slipping from her eyes.

"Yes, but this is different. He cares, Morgana, he really does. He knows what you did and he understands why. He knows you are magical, in fact, to be honest, I think he's known for longer than he says, but he still wants you back. He knows you're not perfect, but he doesn't care. He just wants you home, Morgana. So do I."

Both fell silent. Neither of them attempted to break the silence, just sitting side by side on the floor. Suddenly, a quick flash of movement caught Morgana's eye, also causing her to flinch a little, but she relaxed once she felt that the flash of movement was Arthur's hand, which came to rest on top of hers.

"This may surprise you, Morgana, but I really do care about you. You're my sister, the only one I've got, and I'm not about to lose you because of an argument."

"I'll be fine."

"Morgana! You know that if you stay here, you will die. If you come with me, you'll be safe. It's your choice. Make sure you make the right one."

The girl merely looked at the floor, nodding her head slightly as if to confirm that she had heard and acknowledged what he had said. When she didn't move, Arthur got to his feet, beginning to stride towards the door. He paused, however, once he reached the door, as a voice came from behind him.

"You truly want me back?" Morgana asked in a quiet, questioning whisper. Arthur turned around and held out his hand to the girl sitting amidst a pile of ashes on the flagstoned floor.

"Truly."

For the first time in years, a true smile spread across her face as she took his proferred hand and the pair of siblings began to run.

A/N: Let me know what you think please!


	3. Light in Darkness

Chapter Three

A/N: Thanks to my magical reviewers, dream-on-sunday, Insanetrouble, Lydia Belle and evelyn. By the way, for Lydia, this particular story isn't ArMor, but my new story 'Light in the Darkest Moment' is. It isn't really canon, but neither is this. Don't worry, I have a planned relationship for Morgana, but ArMor isn't it.

Late that night, when all of the Citadel was still, a cloaked figure swept across the courtyard toward the gate. The guards were patrolling the perimeter, of course, but the figure was relatively unfazed by this, as the guards, though reliable, were not known for their thorough checks of the grounds, something that the man in the cloak would normally have been worried and angered by, though not this night.

Exiting the gate, the man walked and walked for hours, resting every half to catch his breath. He hastened through the trees, his feet tangling on tree roots, his cloak catching on twigs and branches, yet still he persisted.

Soon, he found himself upon the ridge at the edge of the Forest of Escitir, the land upon which Camelot ended and the kingdom of the late King Cenred began. The cloaked figure took a deep breath to gather the courage he would need and sank his foot into the sodden ground outside the cover of the trees. He then exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and moved swiftly forwards, his worries temporarily disregarded in his concentration.

The man only halted upon reaching the entrance of a small, well-concealed cave, which he approached with an air of confidence that betrayed his true feelings of dread. '_Is this truly the right thing to do?_' he thought, beginning to doubt himself even as he entered the cave itself.

The figure's eyes narrowed considerably upon entering the pitch black of the stone cavern, trying to view any dangers that may be crouching in the darkness.

"Hello?" he called, his voice carrying clearly through the slight space. "Are you here? Hello?"

"I'm here." came a quiet response from the far corner of the cave. At the sound of the familiar voice, the figure finally lowered his hood, so as to see the woman properly.

"Thank you for coming back for me, Arthur. For a long while, I wasn't sure that you would." the young woman admitted, stepping forwards to greet the prince, who also walked forwards, wrapping his arms around her with a smile, barely thinking about it. She stiffened for a moment, before relaxing into his embrace.

"A thousand times, Morgana, you are my sister. Of course I came back." Arthur sighed, releasing her from his embrace.

"Well, many wouldn't have done. Not anymore." Morgana stated sadly. Arthur gave no response, knowing that she was correct. There were very few people remaining in the world who would have done what he was doing for Morgana, with the possible exception of Guinevere, though even she would've taken a fair deal of persuading.

"Arthur?" Morgana asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" he responded, looking up to meet her brightened eyes. In truth, the prince didn't remember looking away, but he would not have put it past himself. It was a habit that the prince had developed, around the tender age of six, one which had evolved to become routine when in an awkward silence. Arthur had looked up to find his young sister's gaze directed to the stone of a far wall. Apparently, this was a habit that neither of them had lost over the years. Still, she lifted her head and resumed her question.

"Why are you here?" A short pause followed. "I know that you've been leaving me food when you come out and patrol the borders, but you haven't come to see me. I thought that it was too dangerous."

"Morgana." Arthur began, taking a second to ensure that he held her attention. "I've come to take you home."

"Arthur, I don't have a home." Morgana responded, her voice just as quiet as it was saddened.

"You do now, Morgana." Arthur returned, with very little hesitation whatsoever. He had been anticipating her words and had prepared his answer well in advance. "You're coming back to Camelot with me."

Morgana's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open as he finished his short statement. She truly couldn't believe what her brother had just said. If she was being completely truthful, the younger Pendragon had dreamt of hearing those words for a year, ever since the day she had been captured and practically enslaved, though she wouldn't have admitted that fact for a hundred gold crowns before the moment she heard the words leave Arthur's lips. She couldn't suppress a smile as she opened her mouth to smile. Then the smile disappeared and Morgana turned away.

"No." she whispered, in spite of herself. She turned back to find that the smirk that had adorned Arthur's face since he'd made his proposition had faded.

"Why not?" Arthur asked, his annoyance clearly showing now.

"Because it wouldn't be the same!" Morgana exclaimed, her hair flying madly across her face. "The only one I'd have would be you, maybe Father if I am lucky. I wouldn't have anyone. I wouldn't have Merlin, I wouldn't even have Gwen, because they will never trust me again."

"Oh, really?" Arthur questioned his now sobbing sister, taking her hand and pulling her along behind him, as he began to make his way outside the cave. As the sunlight, became brighter, Arthur covered Morgana's eyes with his left hand, continuing to lead her forward with his right while she protested.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Arthur told her in a sing-song voice, removing his hand. Morgana blinked against the bright white light, three shadowed figures the only darkness in it. After a few moments, the figures came into focus and a beaming smile appeared through her tears.

There, stood a mere few feet away, beside the edge of the forest where Arthur had tied his horse's reins, were two servants of Camelot. Two very familiar students.

The man and woman turned to face the siblings as soon as they had emerged from the gap in the stone. The woman wore her usual beaming smile to see her, a great relief to Morgana, while the man looked a little more cautious. '_Rightly so_.' Morgana allowed '_Given the amount of grief that I've caused him_.'

The lady began to walk more swiftly once the maid had smiled, swifter still when she began to do the same. Within seconds they were running towards each other, finally embracing as they reached the centre.

"Oh, Gwen, I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry!" Morgana cried into Gwen's shoulder.

"It's alright. You were only doing what you thought was right to do, you weren't to know." the maid replied.

"But still… I betrayed you. I betrayed you all. Especially you, Merlin." she added, turning to the manservant, who was, after three minutes staring at the ground, now looking straight at her. "I'm sorry."

Merlin paused for a moment, before smiling at the girl. "It's alright. I forgive you."

"I'm so glad." Morgana sighed, walking off within the group, before swinging herself onto a horse. "Maybe everything will be alright, after all."

"I wouldn't be so sure." came the voice of a shadow beside a tree.

A/N: Please review!


	4. Making It Work

Chapter Four

A/N: No reviewers for the last chapter Please review this one so I know you're still reading. Five reviews would make me eternally happy.

The four friends paused where they, each dismounting their steed, before bravely turning the source of the voice.

As they had suspected, the man, who was currently emerging from behind the tree he was stood in the shadow of, was very familiar to them. Very familiar indeed.

"Father?" Arthur asked the man, who was indeed him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Arthur, you were acting rather secretive ever since you had returned from Sir Fendrel's hideout, not at all like yourself, so as soon as I saw you depart from Camelot with these two servants, I decided to follow you." Uther explained, glancing from his son to the servants, finally resting his gaze on Morgana. "And with good reason, too."

"I told you." Morgana snapped at Arthur, sounding terrifyingly as she had done whilst Queen. "I knew he wouldn't want me back. Why would he, after all I've done?"

"That wasn't completely your fault, 'Ana." Arthur told his sister, causing her face to soften, especially at the mention of his childhood nickname for her. "Morgause played a fair part in the plot and, believe it or not, Father, as did you."

Uther's face became thunderous as he heard his son betray him so, but then he realised. The boy was right.

As the king looked up, hoping for his guilt stricken gaze to meet his daughter's, the girl turned her head away from him, a single tear streaking down her face.

"Morgana?" he questioned, to no response, other than a slight sniffle, something most unlike the girl she had used to be. "Morgana?"

"Leave me alone." The words were spoken with the intention of being harsh, but were actually shaken with tears. Tears she didn't want Uther Pendragon to see her cry.

"Father, I don't think that this is the best route of action. We need to give her time." Arthur reprimanded gently, before he was interrupted by the very girl he spoke of, who spun around on the spot, looking her father directly in the eye.

"I don't need time." Morgana replied, her voice a little monotonous, though the former emotion was still present in the tone. "Uther, I need you to understand. You hurt me just as much as I hurt you, if not more. All those years I thought my father had died, then to find out that my father was the man I thought had killed him, found out that I had been lied to all my life. After all of that, are you truly surprised that I turned to my sister for help?"

As the woman had anticipated, Uther had been struck dumb by her passionate speech. His mouth moved wordlessly, and no sound emerged from it. Although she had really expected this reaction, Morgana could not help but be annoyed and turned back around again, tears of anguish welling up in her eyes even as she furiously attempted to stop them.

"Well?" she asked, spinning back around to face the man, whose mouth was still moving, though not as much as it had been.

"Morgana… I am so sorry for what I have done to you. I am sorry for lying to you, I am sorry for making you feel that you were alone. I am sorry… just for everything." Uther admitted, his voice cracking with the emotion he had concealed from so many for so long. At this confession, Morgana's intense stare softened and turned to the ground, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to take in what she had just heard. This was what she had wanted for so long, the king's grovelling apology, yet for some reason, it did not feel as she had expected it to do. It just felt strange.

"Morgana?" Arthur questioned his sister, who seemed to be hardly breathing, standing in a trance like state with her eyes turned to the floor. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the man repeated his statement, his voice a little more gentle. "Are you alright? 'Ana?"

"I don't know." she replied honestly, her voice little louder than a pained whisper. It scared Arthur that the girl was so vulnerable, as she never had been. "I just don't know, Arthur. I don't know if I can forget."

"Morgana, to be clear, I'm not asking you to move on. I only want for you to try and move on, for us to attempt to be the family we should have been from the very first day. Do you think you can do that for me, Morgana?" Uther was almost begging by now. Despite the fact that he had never told her about her parentage, seeing Morgana, and Arthur as well, in so much sadness was the thing that pained him the most in life. The younger, who had now raised her eyes from the floor, met her father's eyes once more, the tears in the pools of emerald still evident.

"Alright." she said, her voice still low in volume, though Uther had been listening so intently that it hardly mattered. A huge smile spread across the man's face at Morgana's words.

"Oh, Morgana. I promise that I will make this work for us. For all three of us." the man insisted, looking from one of his children to the other. The siblings shared glances with each other, and with their servants behind them, who had been watching the whole conversation with hope in their eyes, before all of them broke into huge smiles. Then, just a moment later, the youngest child's smile disappeared. As it did, she took a step forward, her features completely unreadable. All four other members of the party were suddenly confused, taken back and a little afraid.

"I'll hold you to that." Morgana told the man, breaking out in a smile once more. Within moments, peals of laughter were echoing through the woods.

The others were still immersed in laughter when the raven-haired girl fell silent, her eyes widening in terror. She stepped forward, then leapt to the side.

Which was when the crossbow bolt pierced her chest.

A/N: *gasp!* Will she live? Will she die? What happens next? Review and you'll find out sooner.


	5. Repeating History

Chapter Five

A/N: Thank you to InsaneTrouble, enalnotyrem, helenamiami, Angelhaggis and furin-a for being brilliant reviewers.

As the masked man who had fired the crossbow collapsed to the ground dead, one of Arthur's arrows lodged deep in his heart, Morgana fell just as swiftly, landing in a crumpled heap amidst the twigs.

As they watched the young woman crumple and fall, time seemed to stop for the group remaining by the edge of the forest, as if they could not believe what had just happened. Then, as silence fell once more, everything seemed to click.

With barely another moment's hesitation, all four members of the royal household sprinted across the uneven ground, landing down on their knees beside the girl, whose eyes were lolling dangerously closed.

"Morgana?" Arthur questioned, shaking the woman's shoulder in an attempt to wake her, unfortunately, to no avail. "Morgana, please wake up, don't sleep. Morgana!"

To the horror of Guinevere, who had leant over as well, when she felt for a pulse on her mistress' wrist, it was so faint that she took a fair few moments to find it, and even when she did, it was difficult to feel at all.

"Sire, we need to get her back to Camelot, to Gaius." Merlin pointed out, in an attempt to bring the royals back to reality. Luckily, it was successful, as Arthur looked up at his servant, slightly nodding his head as he did so.

"Of course we do." he replied, placing his arms beneath his sister's legs and back, lifting her up off the ground and laying her across the front of his steed, swinging his legs up over the horse as soon as he had done so.

Approximately two hours later, rain soaked and freezing, the party arrived in the courtyard of the Camelot Citadel, met with a surprising reception for the time of night, or rather, morning.

The reaction of the guards upon seeing Morgana was one of shock, and a little of fear, although none would dare to question the King's actions as he accompanied Arthur to Gaius' chambers, the boy carrying Morgana still managing to keep up with his father's quick strides, showing that his years of training had been put to good use.

The royals burst into Gaius' chambers the second they reached them, shocking the elder man from his slumber, who rolled off of his bed, landing on the floor with a yelp.

Half a minute later, the physician was stood beside his work bench, where Arthur had laid the still unconscious Morgana, the scene so painfully familiar for the pair. The wound in the young woman's side was still oozing rivulets of blood, as it had been for the entire time since they had arrived back in Camelot.

"How did this happen?" Gaius asked the young blonde, now completely awakened from his sleep with the urgency of the situation.

"She was shot by a crossbow. I don't know the distance the man was from her. She was trying to protect Father." Arthur exclaimed, reminded himself of the King, who was stood beside Morgana, clutching her hand tightly in his own.

"It's my fault." the man whispered, staring near unseeingly down at the face of his young daughter, blurring slightly as tears welled up in his eyes, streaking their path down his face in a streaming waterfall.

"Father, you didn't know what was going to happen, and you didn't know Morgana was going to try and save you." Arthur reasoned with his father, patting the man a little awkwardly on the shoulder, as he too looked down on Morgana. "You couldn't have stopped this."

"But I should have done more. If I hadn't pushed her away, she would never have left Camelot." The man was truly blaming himself by this point, that much was obvious, as his head sank down into his hands.

"The fault wasn't yours, Father. It was Morgause who led her astray." Arthur told him, attempting to comfort his father, but failing miserably, as the man only sobbed a little more.

"Sire, may I have a word?" Gaius questioned the prince, seeing that the King was completely unable to handle any more bad news at present, and that such horrific news as this would truly cause the man to crack and crumble.

"Yes, of course." he responded, walking across the room with the man, though his gaze remained fixed on his father and sister. "What's the matter with her?"

"The bolt has pierced very deep into her skin, and it has caused some internal bleeding." The very phrase 'internal bleeding' once again caused Arthur to become paralysed with fear. It was all happening again.

"Can it be treated?" Arthur questioned the physician, fearing that he already knew the answer. However, the answer that he was given was entirely different.

"Actually, it can. But not by conventional means." For near half a minute, Arthur considered what the man may have meant by this. It was only when he glanced from his father down to Morgana that he realised what Gaius was implying.

"Magic." The sole word filled the prince with almost as much fear as Morgana's diagnosis had. Almost being the operative word in his mind. "What do I need to do?"

"The child of a High Priestess would have part of their life force placed into an amulet at birth, as a means of protection should the child become endangered. Morgana will have one of these amulets." Gaius explained. Trying to push all thoughts of his aunt being a sorcerer out of his head, Arthur moved on to his next question.

"And where will this amulet be?" he asked, a little nervous of what would happen next. His worry was soon found to be justified.

"On the Isle of the Blessed. But take care, Arthur… if she still lives, Morgause will be there also, and she will not let her only remaining control of Morgana go without a fight." Arthur nodded at this. He had been expecting as much, and was more than willing to take on the challenge. After all, he had faced far worse than her.

"Well, she may not be willing to lose control of her sister, but I am not willing to lose my sister at all, and I will fight for her, until she opens her eyes again."

A/N: I know it cut off quite quickly, but still. Please review and you'll get the next chapter quicker.


	6. The Mists of Danger

Chapter Six

A/N: No reviewers.

Finally, after a day of frantic riding, Arthur and Merlin arrived at the edge of a mist shrouded lake, where, in the middle of it, was floating an island. The Isle of the Blessed.

"This is it, Merlin." the prince breathed, indicating with his head in the direction of the crumbling ruin that stood before them. "The Isle of the Blessed. The very core of magic."

The only response that the other man gave was a gentle nod of his head. He knew very well the properties the island was famed for, as he had been there once previously, where he was responsible for an exchange of Nimueh's life for Gaius'. The prince did not know that, of course, as if he had done, Merlin knew he may not have been facing a welcome embrace. More likely a freshly sharpened axe.

After jumping from its back, Arthur tied the reins of his steed to a nearby tree, something he had had years of practice. Merlin, when he attempted to do the same, was evidently not so well practiced, and somehow managed to trap one of his fingers in the knot, a situation that took a good minute to rectify.

"Merlin! We do not have time to waste on you and the stupid accidents you cause!" Arthur snapped, pulling the man's pained fingers away from the leather they had been held by. "There are more important things at stake here. If we don't get back to Morgana in the next two days, she is going to die."

The solemnity of the situation was clearly visible in the expressions of their faces, particularly that of Arthur, who had been attempting not to cry for hours on end. Merlin, as he had seen how truly upset the prince, did not see fit to make a comment. Instead, he ignored it and allowed the blonde to grieve for what he would lose. Morgana may not have always been good, but she was Arthur's sister, for better or for worse. Even she did not deserve to die at such a young age.

For the next few minutes, the pair remained silent, the only sound around them being the rush of the wind as they sailed across the mist covered lake. It was strange for Arthur, to sail to a place where, with each inch they moved across the water, the essence of the magic became more evident. With every moment that passed, they came closer to saving Morgana's life, and closer to the danger there were introducing to their own.

Upon reaching the land, Merlin's fears had increased tenfold. The Isle of the Blessed was a dangerous place, even at the best of times, and for the son of Uther Pendragon to be setting foot into magical territory was the most foolish idea the man had ever had. It needed to be done, or Morgana would die, but Arthur had never risked his own life so much. Whoever was on this island, they were unlikely to be pleasant to the prince.

"Come along, Merlin." Arthur called, not seeming to care for the level of his voice, which was far too loud to remain unnoticed for long, a fact that he probably did not know of, as the island appeared deserted.

"Do you really think you should be talking so loud?!" Merlin exclaimed in a whisper, as soon as he had reached his master, who had stood bold as brass in the middle of the courtyard.

"And why should I?" he asked his servant, turning to face the man with an expression of arrogance on his face. "Magical or not, I am still their prince, and one day, I will be their king. It is time that they learnt to obey me."

For once, Merlin did not argue. Despite his ridiculous excuses, the younger could see that the prince was merely attempting to make excuses for his own fear, not only regarding the island, but Morgana as well. It was tearing him apart, to see his sister dying once again, and the young sorcerer knew that he would not let it rest until the dark haired woman became well again. The danger on the island was the least of his fears, and as it was such, he would not allow it to faze him.

"Come on, then!" Arthur cried out, evidently wishing now for someone to find him, as he was screaming the words he spoke for all to hear. "What are you scared of? Somebody, anyone, you can't all be cowards! Come out and face me!"

Only silence shrouded the island, bar the prince's words reverberating across the sea, echoing across even the land beyond, due to the sheer volume he had spoken them at. There was no movement anywhere in the courtyard, nor the sounds of footsteps or voices. If anybody had heard them, there were not about to yield to his requests.

"What are you waiting for?!" he yelled, drawing his sword and twisting it once in hand. "If you want to fight me, then fight me! Come on!"

The blonde man was beginning to sound a little demented now, something that both of them seemed to have noticed, but neither of them tried to change the fact. There were far more important tasks at hand than preserving the reputation of the Crown Prince at present, and the rustling of the leaves surrounding the handrail of the steps was one of them, as the pair were certain that it had nothing to do with the wind.

In perfect unison, both Merlin and Arthur turned to face the source of the sound, at the top of the small flight of steps carved into the very stone of the castle. Within moments, a figure appeared at the foot of the stairs, clothed in red, with blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders and cascading down the back of her distinctly feminine form. For the pair of men stood before her, she was not a welcome sight, as they had met the woman quite a few times, and never with positive results.

"Hello, Arthur."

With a frown on his face and venom lacing his tone, Arthur responded reluctantly to the greeting.

"Hello, Morgause."

A/N: Please review! Please!


	7. A Sister Shared

Chapter Seven

A/N: Thanks to zeldor765 for reviewing the last chapter.

Upon the prince's greeting, Morgause approached the two men, a smirk lighting up her face a little more with every step she took towards them, seeming to revel in their discomfort.

"Arthur Pendragon." she breathed, the laugh in her voice box as harsh as the expression on her face. "I never thought that we would meet again, after the… incident that occurred in the throne room. Yet here you are."

"You corrupted my sister." Arthur told her simply, his voice just as flat as hers was contemptuous. The prince had never forgiven his cousin for her actions in turning Morgana against their family, and doubted that he ever would do.

"From your point of view, yes, I did." the woman answered, more than a little cryptically. "But from the way that I have seen it, and the way that Morgana saw it herself, it was Uther Pendragon and those around him that had corrupted her, and are still trying to do so."

"Morgana is my family. She made her choice two years ago with you, but even she has admitted that it was the wrong one." Technically, this was not true, and both Arthur and Merlin knew so, as Morgana had never said such a thing to them, but it was the only thing they could think of to convince the sorceress of their point of view. "My sister belongs with us."

"Is that so?" Morgause asked her cousin, raising her left eyebrow slightly. When such an action had been used by Morgana in the past, Arthur had always seen the bare amusement with her disbelief. With her treacherous snake of a sister, however, the menace in the question was more than clear. "Then why do you come to the Isle of the Blessed?"

The sorceress' question was a fair one, yet the blonde man had not been anticipating it at all. Of course someone would ask them what his business was, so far away from the place he called home, and was amazed at himself that he had not prepared a response. As it was true, the prince had to think on his feet. It had always been rather obvious to Merlin how much improvisation was his master's weak point, but he said nothing. If the man wanted to fall on his sword, he would do it without mocking from his servant.

"I came to ask for your help." Just the words on his tongue felt like a tincture of wolfsbane, but it could not be helped, not if they wished to have their First Lady returned to them. The curling smile that spread across the woman's face was so smug that it was difficult for Arthur to repress the desire to wipe the smile from her face with the back of his hand, for fear that that would mean them never having Morgana's life force returned to them.

"And why would the mighty Prince Arthur of Camelot need help from the likes of me?" Morgause once again asked a question, as she seemed to rejoice in backing Arthur into tight corners with the enquiries she made. She had now turned, as if bored with the conversation they were having, and began to ascend the set of steps she had appeared from mere minutes ago.

"Morgana is dying." Arthur told her bluntly, and suddenly, the sorceress stopped in her tracks. Arthur nodded slightly in the direction of Merlin, who had suggested the idea of telling her immediately, as a way of congratulating him. Knowing it was the most congratulations he would receive from the prince, the servant nodded in return.

The woman had now returned to face them, but the smirk was long since gone. Instead, a look of pain and sorrow flashed across her face, showing that she truly had a deep connection with her sister, magical or otherwise, and could feel her pain, as Arthur could, as her life slipped further away from her grasp.

"What happened to her?" the blonde woman asked her cousin, her voice no longer harsh, but sounding like that of a small child pining after her mother. Arthur knew full well that she had never had a chance to be that child, as her own mother had given her away when she had hardly been out of the womb, but still it shocked him that such a vile person could behave in such a vulnerable way.

"She was shot with a crossbow bolt." the man replied, omitting the detail that it was to the purpose of saving Uther's life that the younger woman had done so, as he felt that it would not help his plea in the least, due to the hatred his father had always harboured for the magical people, and them for him.

Upon hearing of her sister's untimely sacrifice, Morgause drew in a harsh gasp, her hand raising to her mouth to cover it, as if she were embarrassed about the slip in her façade of coolness. In reality, she was attempting to prevent the tears from escaping her eyelids. Even in a state of sadness and shock as she was, the woman would not allow herself to be viewed as being a weak person, let alone by the son of Uther Pendragon. She would rather die than do so.

"You need the crystal?" she asked suddenly, catching Arthur off guard once again. After the moment he took to regain his senses, he nodded severely.

A long pause followed, in which the elder Le Faye seemed to contemplate the favour being asked of her by the Crown Prince of Camelot. Her eyes seemed to glaze a little, as if she were lost in her thoughts, an expression that the young blonde had seen many a time in Morgana, and vaguely remembered in her mother as well.

Finally, the silence was broken, and a smile appeared on Morgause's face once more as she answered his question.

"Then you had best follow me."

A/N: Is Morgause genuine or not? Please review and tell me what you think!


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